OPINION
Chronicles
ERNEST H. Pitt Publisher/Co-Founder
Elaine Pitt Business Manager
Michael A. Pitt Marketing
T. Kevin Walker Managing Editor
Chuck Liddy /Raleigh News A Observrr/MCT
Gov. Sarah Palin at a stop in Greenville, N.C. on Tuesday.
Shut up,
Sarah!
Are we the only ones who are getting a little ticked off by the
cut-throat tactics that Sen. John McCain and his airhead running
mate, Gov. Sarah Palin, are beginning to employ?
We didn't think so.
As this long, long race for the White House enters the final
stretch, the race car with the name "Obama" -on it has pulled
away, according to all national and statewide polls. So no one
was surprised when the McCain camp started to throw harder
jabs. It's normal for the underdog to go into October fighting, but
not to hit so far below the belt.
Palin is being directed (she surely.is not smart enough to con
ceive strategies of her own) to try to convince voters that Obama
is a covert radical who "pals around" with terrorists, anti
American black pastors and God knows who else.
She has delivered this nonsense at rallies before audiences of
thousands of white, conservative Republicans - folks who don't
need much motivation anyway to distrust and dislike blacks. At
one such rally, one member of the crowd yelled out that Obama
should be killed. Palin didn't take a minute to tell the overzealous
supporter that his suggestion was inappropriate; she just contin
ued to read the script the campaign provides her with.
Palin 's charges are as baseless as the claim that she is quali
fied to be vice-president. But they show that the next few weeks
will get uglier as the Republicans try to derail the Obama train.
Sadly, they know , that they can gain some ground by feeding
some white Americans this type of garbage. The Republicans
know that on the issues, they can't get voters on their side. But
racist innuendo has always served the GOP well. Remember
Willie Horton?
The Democrats are vowing to swing back against these
attacks while also staying focused on the issues that are most
important to voters, such as jobs and health care. Obama is not
perfect, no doubt, but compared to McCain and Palin, he is a
class act. He would never stoop to their level, although his surro
gates might.
Obama would never bring up the contradictory nature of such
charges coming from Palin. whose own morals are far from solid
gold. After all, it was her church in Alaska that invited a man
famous for condemning Judaism. Her church also believes in
praying away homosexuality.
Obama is too focused on the issues of the land to mention that
while Palin was busy misusing her authority as governor to fire a
top law enforcement official, her daughter was out getting
knocked up. Of course, teen pregnancy is a major issue across the
nation. But Palin 's daughter's pregnancy stands out because the
governor has been outspoken about abstinence and has supported
measures barring the teaching of sex-ed to students. Sex-Ed was
surely a course her daughter failed, if she took it at all.
Obama has too much tact to mention that Palin attended five
different colleges in order to earn just one bachelor's degree. This
should come as no surprise to those of us who have seen the inter
views where the governor has shown that she is completely clue
less. And we all thought that President Bush was the dumbest
person on the planet.
These criticism of Palin art harsh, we admit. But she is a big
girl who knows how to throw a punch so .she should be receiving
some as well. Palin. like her adulterous, gambling-addict running
mate, has no room to talk about anyone, especially Ivy-League
educated Obama.
Like the old folks say - Palin needs to sweep around her own
front porch first.
Letter to the Editor
The following is an open
letter written to Schools
Superintendent Dr. Don
Martin by Ike Howard, the
head of the Carver Alumni
Association.
Dear Dr. Martin:
The Carver High School
Alumni and the Carver High
School Community are
aware that you will be select
ing a new Principal for
Carver High School in the
next couple of weeks.
We feel that not only will
this selection be critical to
the future academic success
of Carver High but will be
critical to maintaining the
high quality of life for the
Carver Community.
Thus Carver High School
Alumni Association, Inc.. and
Howard
Carver High School
Community are asking that
the following characteristics
be considered as a guide for
your Selection Committee.
? A strong male role
model for the majority stu
dent population.
, ? An experienced High
School Administrator (can
administer Teacher
Accountability).
? A Person to Person
Administrator (to communi
cate with Parents and
Community).
? Academically qualified
? A Teacher Advocate
(Teacher sensitive, with
classroom experience)
? A strong, but fair disci
plinarian.
? Has current or past
administrative experience in
the Winston Salem/Forsyth
County School System
? Experience and sensi
tivity working with challeng
ing students and parents.
? An Administrator who
is familiar with the present
Mission at Carver High
School and has a general
plan/strategy of how to
accomplish it.
? Someone who will be
devoted to the School, its
Students, Parents and
the Carver High Community.
Please take our concerns
in consideration. We hope
that this will be of value to
you and your Selection
Committee. We also ask that
School Board
Representatives Geneva
Brown and Victor Johnson
be included in the Selection
Committee to represent our
views and sentiments.
Sincerely,
Isaac L. Howard
President, Carver High
School Alumni Association,
Inc.
The Big Payback
Jasmyne
Cannick
Guest
Columnist
When boxer Mike Tyson
was convicted of raping Miss
Black Rhode Island, Desiree
Washington, in an Indianapolis
hotel room, for which he
served three years in prison,
we threw him a parade upon
his release.
When singer R. Kelly
finally went to trial for 12
counts of child pornography,
after a video of what really
looked like him urinating on
an underage girl surfaced
online and .in' every hood
across America, we stood in
front of the courthouse with
signs that read "free R. Kelly"
and continued to flock to his
concerts and buy his albums.
And even when football
legend and actor OJ. Simpson
was acquitted of murdering his
ex-wife Nicole Brown *
Simpson; a white woman, and
her friend Ronald Goldman in
1995, much to the ire of whites
across America, there was a
sense of vindication not only
for Simpson but for Black
America. I remember hearing
the shouts of praise, hallelujah,
and glory to God coming from
houses up and down the street
as Black people came out of
their homes and celebrated.
However, when the verdict
came down this weekend, in
record time I might add, that
Simpson had been found
guilty by an all white jury in
Las Vegas of robbery with a
deadly weapon, burglary with
a firearm, assault with a dead
ly weapon, first-degree kid
napping with use of a deadly
weapon, coercion with use of a
deadly weapon, conspiracy to
commit robbery, conspiracy to
commit kidnapping, and con
spiracy to commit a crime -
not a word from Black
America.
Whether it's admitted pub
licly or not, Black America is
not found of Black men, espe
cially sports athletes and
JK 4 0 1 3 9 7 0 06-1 7 9 4
The infamous OJ. Simpson mugshot from his first arrest.
celebrities, who choose to
marry white women. To be
fair, neither is white America,
who has had a hatred for OJ.
since his murder acquittal 13
years ago.
All that not withstanding,
Black America still stood by
Simpson's side throughout his
murder trial, assuming he'd
learned his lesson.
The lesson that dictates is
if your Black ass gets off for
murdering a white . woman
once, you do not take your ass
back out there and find your
self another white woman
while turning your back on the
people who had your back
when no one else did.
Unfortunately, for OJ., his
biggest mistake was choosing
to abandon the community that
stood by him in spite of his
indiscretions.
As my Aunt so plainly put
it, "he's never been one of us.
He's always thought he was
one of them."
I think it's clear that Black
America is no longer in OJ.'s
corner and once your ghetto
pass is revoked, it's almost
impossible to get it back. Just
ask country singer Cowboy
Troy, who sung at this year's
Republican National
Convention, Secretary of State
Condoleeza Rice, Supreme
Court Justice Clarence
Thomas, commentator
Armstrong Williams, and Bill
and Hillary Clinton.
that's why you can have
grown women including
Angieniki, Jerhonda, and
friends, standing in front of a
Chicago courthouse holding
signs in support of a Black
man who has a history of
pedophilia like behavior with
underage Black females, and
yet nothing from those same
women for a brotha who is on
trial in a conservative mostly
white county with a jury of all
white people for crimes that
are in my opinion far less egre
gious than pedophilia.
See R. Kelly, for what it's
worth and that isn't much,
never turned his back on Black
America and m return, Black
America reciprocated by over
looking the video showing
someone that looks an awful
lot like him urinating on an
underage girl.
Now had O J. come out of
his trial in 1995 with the atti
tude that he was in fact a Black
man living in America and
acted accordingly, I can't say
he wouldn't have been found
guilty, but chances are, "some
Black leader" would have
called for a march on Las
Vegas by now and for a re-trial
due to the fact that a Black
man was convicted by an all
white jury.
Instead, white America is
celebrating from coast to coast
because Simpson will quite
possibly be going away to
prison for life, something
they've wanted to happen for
the past 13 years. But worst of
all, Simpson is left without the
support of Black America,
who can be a force to be reck
oned with when angered - just
ask shock jock Don Imus and
Black Congressional Members
who choose to support Sen.
Hillary Clinton .over Sen.
Barack Obama during the
Presidential primary season.
It's a known fact that trou
bled Black celebrities cannot
afford to lose the support of
Black America. And while
that support isn't, always
defensible, as in the cases of R.
Kelly and Mike Tyson, it can
make all the diffeitnce in
times like these.
And if O.J. thinks he's
lonely now, wait until he meets
his cellmates in a Nevada state
prison, where some would
argue the majority of that
state's .Blacks are housed and
where perhaps for the first
time in his life, he will realize
that he is a Black man living in
America - albeit a bit too late.
At 30, Jasmyne Capnick is
a critic and commentator
based in Los Angeles who
writes about the worlds of pop
culture, race, class, sexuality,
and politics as it relates to the
African-American community.
She can be reached at jas
mynecannick.com or
myspace.com/jasmynecannick.